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- Jewish Mission to Cuba
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- Andrew Hiller
Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer and members of his Maryland-based congregation visited seven provinces in Cuba to worship, teach, and pray with the Jews of Cuba. Since the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the Jewish population in Cuba has dwindled from approximately 15,000 to only 1,500 today. To get there, they had to hurdle politics, language, and their own apprehension, but they did not have to convince the population. They requested help in the restoration of their heritage and the provision of prayer materials. While there, the Bethesda Congregants taught songs, prayers, delivered tri-lingual prayer books and helped construct cemetaries and the first building designed for Jewish use in over forty years.
Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer and members of his Maryland-based congregation visited seven provinces in Cuba to worship, teach, and pray with the Jews of Cuba. Since the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the Jewish population in Cuba has dwindled from approximately 15,000 to only 1,500 today. To get there, they had to hurdle politics, language, and their own apprehension, but they did not have to convince the population. They requested help in the restoration of their heritage and the provision of prayer materials. While there, the Bethesda Congregants taught songs, prayers, delivered tri-lingual prayer books and helped construct cemetaries and the first building designed for Jewish use in over forty years.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer and members of his Maryland-based congregation visited seven provinces in Cuba to worship, teach, and pray with the Jews of Cuba. Since the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the Jewish population in Cuba has dwindled from approximately 15,000 to only 1,500 today. To get there, they had to hurdle politics, language, and their own apprehension, but they did not have to convince the population. They requested help in the restoration of their heritage and the provision of prayer materials. While there, the Bethesda Congregants taught songs, prayers, delivered tri-lingual prayer books and helped construct cemetaries and the first building designed for Jewish use in over forty years.
Broadcast History
WAMU 88.5 FM, DC NPR affiliate, Metro Connection, 03/12/2010
Intro and Outro
INTRO:Host: It seems that what is lost can be found again. [music prayer window] Since the 1959 revolution in Cuba the Jewish population has been in decline. Some left for Israel, some simply stopped practicing, and some hid their identity. But following the fall of the Soviet Union and the 1998 visit of Pope John Paul II, Cuba began moving from an atheist to a secular philosophy. And since 2002, one Maryland Congregation has helped provide support, education, and prayers to try to spur a Jewish resurgence. Andrew Hiller reports.
OUTRO:Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| various embedded Jewish Folk and religious songs | Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer and BJC Congregants | 00:00 |
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